Crimping tool

ABSTRACT

A crimping tool for use in crimping connectors on wires such as telephone cable wires in which the connectors are fed into engagement with a fixed anvil and the wires are thereafter positioned in the anvil and the connector crimped around the wires by means of a punch member. The anvil and punch have cooperating members which sever the unwanted ends of the wires and trim any excess insulation on the connector.

United States Patent Karl [111 3,825,986 [451 July 30, 1974 I 22 Filed:

[ CRIMPING TOOL [75] Inventor: Walter Karl, Lugarno, New South Wales,Australia [73] Assignee: Utilux Pty. Limited, New South Wales, AustraliaDec. 27, 1972 I [21] Appl. No.: 318,731

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 3|, 1971 Australia 2577/7l52 us. Cl. 29/203 DT [51] Int. Cl H01! 43/04 [58] Field of Search.....29/203 HT, 203 HC, 203 H, -29/203 D, 203 DT [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 7/1967 Reem et al. 29/203 HT 3,426,355 2/1969 Over 29/203HT Primary ExaminerThomas H. Eager Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Brisebois &Kruger 57 ABSTRACT 4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures mamsumww 3.825.986

SHEET 10F 2 YUEUHUHUEA mmmom masses SHEET 2 BF .2

CRIMPING TOOL crimp connectors to conductors. The connectors are fedinto the operating components and engage around pre-positionedconductors and during or after the crimping operation the protrudingends of the conductors are severed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention includes a crimping toolcomprising an anvil member, a moveable punch member, means for locatingconductors in the punch member, said anvil member including a cut offslide for sequentially severing the surplus conductor material, crimpingthe connector and severing any surplus insulating material on theconnector.

The invention also includes in the device defined in the precedingparagraph a feed mechanism for advancing connectors on a tape into theanvil assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a strip ofconnectors for use with the crimping tool of this invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the connectors of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an assembled view of the tool of this invention mounted on astand and showing it in relation to a cable having conductors to bejointed,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the crimping tool of this invention,

FIG. 5 is a partially sectioned side elevation of a tool of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a more detailed side elevation of the punch and anvil end ofthe crimping tool, and t FIG. 7 is an end elevation of the crimping toolof FIG. 4 and partly in section and with some components removed.

I DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The connectors are formedfrom thin sheet metal and are bent up in the form of a channel with acovering of insulation on the outer face and having tangs and conductorgripping components which penetrate the insulating covering and grip theconductors respectively. Each connector is formed with a channel 10 andhas an externally applied sheet of insulating material 11 which ispreferably polyethylene terephthalate film. The terminals are formedinto a continuous tape by means of the sheet of film and the portionswhich are applied to the sides of the channel form a cut-out andextending on each side of the cut-out are strips 12 which retain theterminals in a continuous tape form.

The terminals are fed into the crimping tool by means of a curvedconnector feed frame 13 and are positioned therein by means of a guideway formed by the feed frame and a pair of plates 14 mounted on eachside thereof and having enlarged entry portion 15.

The crimping tool comprises a housing 16 which is bored out at one endto provide'a bore 17 for a piston '18 arranged for reciprocatingmovement therein. The piston has a stepped forward end 19 of smallerdiameter forming a shoulder against which a return spring 20 locates atone end and at the other end it locates at the blind end 21 of the bore17. This end is apertured so that the reduced diameter portion 19 of thepiston passes therethrough with suitable sealing means between thecomponents forming an operating part as described hereafter. Hydraulicfluid is admitted to the bore 17 through a side entry socket 22 and ableed valve or screw 23 is provided at the end of the bore 17 as shownin FIG. 6 to bleed the line from a pump not shown. I

For convenience the crimping tool may be mounted on a shaft 24 by meansof a traversing member 25 including a hand wheel 26 which has secured toit a pinion in mesh with a rack on the underside of shaft 24. A firstsplit clamp 27 is secured to the traversing member 25 and it is providedwith a locking cam 28 so that the end 29 around a second shaft 30 may beclamped thereto or adjusted and similarly there is a further or secondsplit clamp 31 with a locking clamp 32 around a short mounting shaft 33secured to a collar 34 positioned around the housing 16 of the crimpingtool. This combination allows the tool to be set up for rapid crimpingoperations.

The connectors 10in tape form may be mounted in a magazine 35 secured tothe first or second split clamp 27 or 31 and these are fed out of a slot36 to the guide way of the connector feed frame 13 and are picked by afeed member having spaced fingers 39 which engage with adjacentconnector 10 and pull the tape and connectors thereon upwards throughthe guide way along the guide track 38 formed in the anvil part 53 ofthe connector. In FIG. 5 successive positions of the fingers 39 areshown in dotted outline. The advancement of the connector is carried outby means of moving a knurled knob 40 mounted on one end ofa lever 41pivotally mounted on a shaft 42 secured to the frame 43 extendingforward on the cylinder 18. The other end of the lever 41 has mountedthereon a transverse shaft 42 on which the fingers 39 are positioned.This mechanism is returned to its initial position by means of a spring45 secured to the frame by a nut 46 at one end and at the other end issecured to the lever 41 and is arranged to return the lever 41 to itsstarting position.

The anvil assembly is secured to the frame 43 by means of a bolt 47which passes through the anvil assembly as described hereinafter andenters the frame 43. Extending across the frame is a stop member 48 tolimit the advancement movement of the fingers 39.

The fixed anvil assembly and the moveable punch part are shaped so thatthe conductors 54 are correctly pre-positioned to be received in theincoming connector 10. One conductor is inserted from the left hand sideand is located in the space between the springloaded pressure pad 49 andthe guide pin 50. The right hand conductor is similarly positioned underthe springloaded pressure pad 49A and its associated guide pin 50A. Thepressure pads 49 and 49A may be operated manually by grips 51 and 51A.The connector 10 as it enters the anvil to be applied around theprepositioned conductors is severed from its supporting film strips bymeans of cut off slides 52 which also guide the connectors into theanvil, cut off the excess conductor, discharge the film waste, andretain the crimped connector in the anvil when the tool is opened.

In operation the punch assembly moves forward carrying the conductors 54which are severed when they contact the cut off slides 52. At this stagethe conductors have been displaced into the crimping position in theanvil 53 whence the crimping operation and removal of excess film iseffected.

The tool is normally used to join two wires in which case the excesswire ends are cut off by the anvil cutters 55 (shown in FIG. 5) and 55A(shown in FIG. 6), which are positioned complementary to the pins 50A.

I claim:

1. A crimping tool for connecting conductors and in which the connectoris of generally channel shape, said tool having a body, a frameextending from one end of the body, a guide way in the frame for guidingconnectors to an anvil portion of the frame, a punch member having apiston mounted in a cylinder in the body and arranged to reciprocate toand fro in said body in response to fluid pressure between the pistonand the cylinder, the punch having a working end which advances 4towards said anvil whereby said connector is folded around said wires asthe punch approaches said anvil.

2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the connectors are fed into theguideway in strip form.

3. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the guide way has a portionspaced from the underside of the body and a curved upswept portiongenerally normal to the direction of movement of the piston andextending into the anvil.

4. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the punch member includesspaced guide pins extending towards the anvil, spring mounted pressurepads on the punch associated with each of said guide pins, a wire beinglocated between each guide pin and its associated pressure pad forcrimping.

. UNITED STATES :PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3825 .986 Dated Julv 3D 107 Inventor(s) KARL WALTER It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

[30] I Foreign Application Priority Data December 31, 1971 Australia7577/71 Signed a nd sealed this 29th day of October 1974.

(SEAL) Attest McCOY M. GIBSON JR. c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting OfficerCommissioner of Patents UlCOMM-DC 00876PP69 FORM PO-105O (10-59) 5 LL.GOVIINMINT PRINTING OFIICI! IN. O-NO-SM.

1. A crimping tool for connecting conductors and in which the connector is of generally channel shape, said tool having a body, a frame extending from one end of the body, a guide way in the frame for guiding connectors to an anvil portion of the frame, a punch member having a piston mounted in a cylinder in the body and arranged to reciprocate to and fro in said body in response to fluid pressure between the piston and the cylinder, the punch having a working end which adVances towards said anvil whereby said connector is folded around said wires as the punch approaches said anvil.
 2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the connectors are fed into the guideway in strip form.
 3. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the guide way has a portion spaced from the underside of the body and a curved upswept portion generally normal to the direction of movement of the piston and extending into the anvil.
 4. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the punch member includes spaced guide pins extending towards the anvil, spring mounted pressure pads on the punch associated with each of said guide pins, a wire being located between each guide pin and its associated pressure pad for crimping. 